Weddings are big business in Alberta | infographic

Average cost expected to be more than $24,000

Ette Dress Boutique owner Courtney Kos, in black, with Sophia Models Mara Zena, left, and Kim Noteworthy outside the haute couture and bridal gown store in the Beltline, which opened last fall.

Photograph by: Colleen De Neve Colleen De Neve
, Calgary Herald

CALGARY - Weddings are big business and they apparently are the biggest in Alberta.

With wedding season just around the corner, a study released Wednesday by BMO InvestorLine shows that Albertans plan to spend on average $24,360 on their weddings and they plan to invite an average of 115 guests.

Nationally, Canadians plan to spend $15,000 with 100 guests.

Courtney Kos, who opened her Ette boutique in the Beltline at Mount Royal Village last September, said she’s not surprised by the amount of money people in Alberta intend to spend on their weddings given the amount of personal wealth there is in Calgary.

The owner of the shop, that sells high-end dresses and bridal gowns, typically sells wedding dresses between $4,000 and $10,000

"But we have done pieces that are much, much more than that," she said, adding the costs have been into the "many tens of thousands" of dollars.

"People want the runway pieces and they want the exclusivity. The more you pay the more unique your dress is going to be. And they have a taste for the runway pieces which are very expensive."

Renee Pittet, with production and design company One West Events in Calgary, said she too is not surprised by the amount people intend to spend for their weddings in Alberta.

"It doesn’t surprise me at all. I don’t know, maybe it’s just Calgary being the city as it is, financially there’s a little bit more money in the city," she said. "The one thing I’ve noticed is that there’s a lot of clients who are paying for the wedding themselves which is new. There’s not as much support from families or what have you.

"I’ve noticed it’s gone up and up in the years as far as doing more things and how much clients are spending and are willing to spend."

The most expensive weddings she’s seen are in the range of $150,000 to $250,000 or so.

Lynn Fletcher, a wedding producer with a team of five people at Lynn Fletcher Weddings in Calgary, said more people are coming to Alberta, specifically Banff and the mountains, from all over the world to hold their weddings.

"And really have a grand affair for their guests who are travelling from all over the world to celebrate with them," she said. "That’s the thing I think Alberta has over a lot of cities in the country - the Rocky Mountain draw . . . It’s a big, big business out there."

The BMO study also found that about 40 per cent of Canadians and Albertans do not believe they will be able to afford their ideal wedding.

It said that Albertans plan to cover 70 per cent (60 per cent Canadians) of the costs associated with their wedding by drawing on investments or other savings that either they or their partner have.

Canadians will use many sources to cover the remaining costs: the bride and groom’s parents (13 per cent of costs, 14 per cent in Alberta); credit cards and/or lines of credit (13 per cent of costs, eight per cent in Alberta); and contributions from friends through gifts or donations at bachelor parties or ‘Stag and Doe’ events (five per cent of costs, three per cent in Alberta).

According to the study, only 28 per cent (40 per cent in Alberta) of Canadians who plan on getting married are earmarking a portion of their investments specifically to pay for their future wedding.

The study also looked at top honeymoon destinations for Canadians planning a future wedding and found that Hawaii was ranked the preferred location by 24 per cent (37 per cent in Alberta). This was followed by: the Caribbean (22 per cent, 15 per cent in Alberta); Europe (18 per cent, 17 per cent in Alberta); Australia/New Zealand (11 per cent, 11 per cent in Alberta); and Canada (10 per cent, 11 per cent in Alberta).

Canadians plan to spend an average of $5,272 ($4,969 in Alberta) on their honeymoons.

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